Li's Compass

Device · 1920s

A whimsical magic item for Call of Cthulhu.

The needle sighs, tasting wet stone and hot iron.

Stats

  • Origin: Shanghai, 1924
  • Sanity Loss: 1/1d6
  • Malfunction: 5% chance each use of spinning wildly, pulling the holder into a broken promise (1d6 mental stress)

Description

A brass compass‑orrery of curious make, its gears ticking like a tiny clockwork heart. The device is warm to the touch, exhaling the faint scent of wet stone and hot iron, as if it were forged in a forgotten forge beneath a rain‑soaked courtyard. Its needle, a slender shard of polished jade, never settles, always turning toward some unseen destiny.

Powers

**Point to Promise.** When the holder asks the compass for a direction, the needle spins once and then steadies, pointing toward the nearest promise about to break within a mile. The holder may roll Spot Hidden (60%) to discern the exact nature of the promise; a success reveals a clue, while a failure costs an additional 1d4% Sanity as the device whispers broken vows. **Echo of Oaths.** Once per week the compass can be consulted to hear a faint echo of a recent oath spoken nearby, granting a +10% bonus on Persuade or Fast Talk when dealing with the promise’s bearer.

Price of Use

Each consultation demands a personal secret: the user must voluntarily reveal a hidden truth or suffer a loss of 1d4% Sanity, representing the weight of unkept promises.

Tags: 1920s, promise, compass, orrery

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